Anaheim Ducks: What Happened to the real Bob Murray?

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ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 29: GM Bob Murray watches from the stands during the Anaheim Ducks’ annual development camp at Anaheim ICE in Anaheim on Friday, June 29, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register via Getty Images) /

Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray is known for making shrewd trades that made the team Cup contenders. In the past few years, those deals have been scarce.

The adage goes “Heavy is the head that wears the crown”. The crown bearer in the Anaheim Ducks organization is one Bob Murray. Murray has been the Ducks GM since Bryan Burke’s departure in 2008, but he has been a member of the front office since 2005.

Murray can be cited as having a hand in the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup championship, in a behind-the-scenes role. As GM, he has been responsible for some great trades, as well as five division titles and two trips to the Western Conference Finals. For all the good and big trades in years past it seems that Murray isn’t the same trader he used to be. Something seems to have changed and not for the better.

So what happened and should it be a cause for concern?

SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 18: Ryan Kesler #17 of the Anaheim Ducks skates against the San Jose Sharks in Game Four of the 2018 Western Conference First Round on April 18, 2018. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images) /

The Good

Murray’s successes can’t be overlooked. Murray brought in pieces such as Nick Bonino, Lubomir Visnovsky, Andrew Cogliano, Stephane Robidas, Nate Thompson, Simon Despres, David Perron, and Patrick Eaves to name a few. In virtually all of these trades, Murray gave up little to nothing. All of these players contributed notably in the playoffs and in the cases of Cogliano and Eaves continue to.

Murray also had the guts to ship Bobby Ryan (a budding all-star at the time) to Ottawa for Jakob Silfverberg and a first rounder that turned into Nick Ritchie. Silfverberg has been a great addition for the Ducks on both ends of the ice and could be in line for a big extension. Ryan never really found his game in Ottawa making the Ducks appear to be geniuses.

Due to shrewd lower-profile moves, Murray had the pieces in Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa to send Vancouver’s way and bring Ryan Kesler to Anaheim. Kelser has his own set of medical issues at this point, but he’s scored 172 points in 286 games in Anaheim. Its hard to argue the Ducks didn’t win this trade.

Silfverberg and Kesler have also found great chemistry together and have proven vital in both the regular season and playoffs. The Ducks are a far better team with them than without them.

ANAHEIM, CA – FEBRUARY 9: Kevin Bieksa #3 of the Anaheim Ducks battles for position against Drake Caggiula #91 of the Edmonton Oilers during the game on February 9, 2018. (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The Bad

While the good has been good, the bad has been ugly at times. Murray traded for the likes of Maxim Lapierre, Brad Winchester, Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Garbutt, Chris Kelly, Jason Chimera, and Jared Boll. He signed players like Clayton Stoner and Bryan Allen.

All of these players he brought in are bottom of the barrel and fans were given a “sales job.” These players were supposed to be “veteran presences” or “add to the speed quotient”. None of them added either the speed or the veteran presence I want on my team.

For someone of Murray’s intelligence, bringing these players to Anaheim is concerning, because they did nothing to help the Ducks and blocked young players from joining the team. In most of these cases, the additions were not long for the Ducks.

Thinking of the contracts given and play of guys such as Stoner and Bieksa is enough to give any Anaheim Ducks fan nightmares. Many of the above players above did nothing but make the Ducks worse. What’s more concerning is who most of these players were traded for. It begs the question, what has happened to Bob Murray?

WINNIPEG, MB – MARCH 23: Head Coach Randy Carlyle of the Anaheim Ducks looks on from the bench during second-period action against the Winnipeg Jets on March 23, 2018. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The Skinny

When Murray has gone big he has hit big, when he tries to go small he misses badly. So what has happened to Murray’s nerve when it comes to making trades?

The farm system is as strong as ever and the chips are there for the Ducks to get a deal done. Murray is reluctant to make the big deal. I think the reason is two-fold. One, as much as Murray harps that he is different, and especially this off-season, he recognizes the team needs to get faster but is still stuck in the2007 mindset.

Though Brian Burke was the GM at the time of the Ducks Stanley Cup win, Murray was his right hand. He loved seeing a bruising, physical style and believed that was the way to a Cup, and still wishes it stays that way.

If you need further proof of that, he brought Randy Carlyle, the coach of the 2007 team back as soon as he got the opportunity. Both seem more than happy to roll over the hill vets who are “team guys” and “physical” rather than young speedy players.

The second reason is that Murray is afraid to be the GM with egg on his face. He would rather miss small and say my bad rather than miss big and have the league see his big mistake. Murray is also reluctant to trade prospects, which I agree with in the short term, but to get proven NHL talent sometimes you need to pull the trigger.

LAS VEGAS, NV: Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray meets with the media following the NHL general managers meetings at the Bellagio Las Vegas on June 23, 2015. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Better late than Never

The signings of Carter Rowney, Ryan Gibbons, Luke Schenn and Andrej Sustr have raised some eyebrows. Especially, after hearing Murray’s comments about needing to get and play faster.

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After seeing the Ducks thoroughly out-skated and out-played in the playoffs, fans are trying to see where these new players fit in. While on the surface these signings look weird and out of place I am here to say this is a sign that perhaps the old Bob Murray is back.

With the potential promotions of Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Kevin Roy, Marcus Peterrsson, and Jacob Larsson there will be some holes to fill in San Diego. Additionally, the Ducks need backup plans should injuries arise. Enter Bob Murray’s 2018 FA class.

The Ducks have a veteran, yet young defense core in Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour. As much as I want the youth movement I also want smart decisions. Pairing Larsson and Petersson isn’t a smart idea. It’s unnecessarily throwing them to the fire. Pairing the better one with Sustr and letting the other lead the Gulls benefits both. Sustr playing third pair minutes makes this group one of the best.

Up front you want the kids to have some competition and that’s what Rowney and Gibbons provide. On top of that, it’s added motivation that if you need to be put back in San Diego your replacement is sitting up in the press box.

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While “Big Deal Bob” seems to have disappeared, he may be replaced with a new more savvy version. If Murray 2.0 means wins and a Cup for the Ducks, I don’t think many fans will mind.

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